Pygmy

Nothing wrong with THAT group, Dan....Looks like a winner to me...

Birds seen but nothing on the ground yet...The Canuck has a couple more days here....This morning sat in the blind until 9:00 am and then did a walkabout..Came back at 10:00 and there were 12 turkeys standing in front of the blind. Maybe tomorrow.

Can't wait for the story and pictures...Since Wooly is involved, I know the pictures will be GREAT !!

This season I hope to kill deer with my most recently required "old" new rifle. It is a WWII vintage 03A3 Springfield in 30-06 that was sporterized with a Bishop stock and mounted with an older Weaver V7 scope. The trigger is the original two stage military trigger, but it has been worked and is not half bad. It groups well with the same handload that I load for my Garand M1. I bought it last winter from a very dear friend, who passed away on July 8th of this year and I thought it only right and proper to take it out this season and shoot a deer with it in his memory.

That could be another whole thread. " Guns That I Am Sorry That I Sold".....<<SIGH>>......

Hey...I had one of those string trackers. ! One thing often found on older used shotguns is from pre-choke tube days, the adjustable chokes like poly-chokes ( and others) that were installed on the end of the shotgun barrel and adjusted somewhat like a hose nozzle. They actually worked quite well, but the knob on the end of the barrel was unsightly, and they tended to be associated with cheaper " hardware brand" guns like Sears and Montgomery Ward. Even today they lower the sales value of otherwise desirable older shotguns, like Browning Autos or Winchester Model 12s..They are like " the kiss of death" on a used shotgun as far as value goes, even though they may be perfectly functional.

Welcome aboard, Dalo ! It's nice to have another pretty lady on the forum. I'm that tall, charming, ruggedly handsome guy that Wooly has been telling you about. Well....Maybe I LIED a little about the TALL part. Imagine Clint Eastwood sawed off at the knees....<< GRIN>>....

My turkey hunting buddy from Canada is arriving this afternoon for our annual fall hunt. He can't walk far ( degenerative arthritis) so I have put up a popup blind on the edge between my clover plot and my buckwheat plot. I have had a flock of about dozen hens and poults plus a group of 4 longbeards that have visiting it often, according to my trailcam. He'll be in the blind in the morning, giving a few low yelps and contented clucks now and then, and hopefully he may get a chance to punch his tag.. I just ask him to shoot a jake ( preferably) or a gobbler rather than a hen..

Jerkman....I am glad there are some hairy chested brutes like you out there to take of the slack from some of us pansy asses... Keep up the good work....<<GRIN>>....

I have been fortunate to pick up quality used scopes... I have two fixed 4X Leupolds which have accounted for a caribou at 400, a whitetail at 400, a muley at 300 and a moose at 300, plus numerous animals at lesser ranges..They cost me $125 each at gun shows. I also have a fixed 6X Leupold that cost me $160 on a hunting forum that has accounted for a muley and a few whitetails...I also have a Leupold 1-4 X which is currently on one of my turkey guns..I paid $100 for it used. You can shop around and find good deals on quality used scopes. Fixed powers tend to go cheaper because everyone seems to think you need a fairly high power variable to kill anything...The highest power scopes I own are a 2x7 Burris and an old ( El Paso) 2x7 Weaver.

Why of course, if you are a "Weatherby Guy" you will gravitate toward the .257 WM... It's the only one that kills game well and doesn't KICK the **** out of you...

Sorry Stubby, I didn't realize you were so sensitive.. I thought you GYRENES were tough ! I'll go back in my hut now..I think I have a head to shrink or something..

Please accept my sincere condolences on the passing of your mother-in-law. I was unaware of it when I sent you the PM a few days ago.

The 25-06 is an excellent long range varmint cartridge and a very good deer and antelope cartridge. One DISADVANTAGE of the 25 ought is the fact that it is an overbore cartridge, and performs best with slow burning powders and longish barrels in order to achieve it's peak velocities and trajectory. Any barrel shorter than 24" and it becomes basically a loud .257 Roberts. In order to get optimum performance you end up with a rifle that is longer and heavier than many of us like. It is at its best in longer barreled "bean field" type rifles. The .308 performs well in 20" and 22" barrels, and has a shorter action, resulting in a shorter, handier, lighter rifle. It's not as flashy ( both literally and figuratively) but with proper loads it shoots plenty flat enough for 400 yard shots, and will pretty much do anything a .270 or 30-06 will do, which is hardly faint praise. It is probably one of the very best all around cartridges.

Let me chime in with the 7mm08 fans...It is a more versatile chambering than the 25-06 and kicks noticeably less than the .270/.280/30-06 .....

For a deer cartridge, either chambering is fine. The 25-06 is on the light side for elk. With elk in the mix I would go with the .308. The heaviest readily available bullet weight for the .25 is 120 grains. While it will (and has) certainly kill elk with good shot placement, I would prefer a heavier bullet. The .308 with a well constructed 165 or 180 grain bullet would be a good choice. Weatherby Vanguards used to be made by Howa...I do not know if that is still the case. I never have had experience with the Tikka, but have heard good things about them. The Finns make good rifles.

Well ain't you SPECIAL ?....

Hehehehehe...Leave it to a stick bow hunter to sneak within 50 yards of a ram to shoot it with a .270....!! Most of us rifle minded guys would find a spot at 200-250 yards with a SOLID REST....<<grin>>...

Awesome ram.....With 5 tags a year his drawing was tantamount to hitting the lottery, preference points or not, after only 25 years..

I used a .17HMR for a couple of years, but it is a "head shots only" rifle... I now have a .17 MachII...Great little squirrel rifle and less destructive than it's larger cousin, but ammo is nearly impossible to find now.Fortunately I got a lifetime supply when I bought the rifle. I use a shotgun in early season when the leaves are heavy or until I have a pretty good supply of squirrels in the freezer. Then I switch to the rifle and use either the H&R .17 Mach II ( 4X Leupold) or my old faithful Ruger 10/22( 4XBurris Compact).. The 10/22 is currently sighted in with Remington Target standard velocity long rifles.

Here's wishing you a speedy recovery, Stoney !!

I have no experience with the ported gas plug, since I reload my own "Garand Safe" hunting ammo. I read some stuff online and found nothing negative about the product. If I were not a handloader I'd give it a try. Good luck ! I enjoy hunting with my Garand, and carry it several times per season , usually when I'm not WALKING too far.....<<GRIN>>....

I had a .338 Win Mag for awhile, and it was a great shooter. However, it beat me up and I never really enjoyed shooting it, especially off the bench.. I worked up loads for it and a .300 Win Mag once side by side. It was like getting beat up by a good heavyweight boxer, and then a light heavy... I replaced the .338 with a 9.3 x 62... With 250 grain bullets I can come close to .338 performance and burn about 15 grains less powder doing it, with accompanying reduction in recoil and muzzle blast. It is a very efficient cartridge. I would love to have a 45-70, if for no other reason than it historical value. I think I would load it to approximate it's original ballistics however, rather than hot rod it . I had the opportunity to fire a .50 BMG rifle once and declined, although I'd love to fire a tripod or vehicle mounted Ma Deuce...

Nice shooting and beautiful animals, my friend... Congrats !! Those Barnes bullets are the NUTZ !! I use them now in all my centerfire hunting loads except the traditional loads I use in my M1 and 03A3 Springfield...

Growie.. ..I just had a flu shot and I **** like a goose the day after...Can't help but think it was a reaction to the flu shot.. It was over in 24 hours...